Door lock and latch



( NoModel.)

H. MORTON.' DOOR LOCK AND LATCH.

No. 425,237. Patented Apr. 8, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY MORTON, OF BRANFORD, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN J. KENNEDY, OF NE\V HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

DOOR LOCK AND LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,237, dated April 8, 18 90.

Application filed December 24, 1889. Serial No. 334,848. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY MORTON, of Branford, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improve mentin Door Locks and Latches; and I do here by declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a perspective view of the case, a portion of the covering-plate removed; Fig. 2, a detached view representing a section cutting through the faceplate at the hook, showing its engagement at one point with the case; Fig. 3, a perspectivic view of a portion of the face-plate, showing one of the hooks on the inside; Fig. 4:, a detached perspective view of a portion of the case, representing one of the engaging hooks; Fig. 5, a vertical section through the case, cutting in rear of the hooks and representing the engagement of the case with the face-plate and the covering-plate as in place; Figs. 6, 7, and 8, modifications.

This invention relates to an improvement in that class of door locks and latches commonly called inortisedatch es, or such as are composed of a thin case to contain the mechanism and a broad face-plate which will show upon the edge of the door and by which the lock is secured. In the usual construction of this class of locks and latches the face-plate is made separate from the case and is riveted thereto. The riveting calls for considerable labor in fitting and securing the parts together, such labor adding materially to the cost of manufacture.

The object of my invention is to avoid the necessity of this labor; and the invention consists in the construction, as hereinafter described, and particularly recited in the claim.

Arepresents the case, which is of the usual shape and adapted to contain the 1nechanism, the construction of the interior being in accordance with such mechanism, the mechanism-itself being omitted in the illustration. The case at its face-plate end is open. On

both the upper and lower sides of the case projections a are turned. As here represented, they are turned in opposite directions at right-angles to the side of the case on which the projections are made, these projections forming permanent hooks 0n the case.

13 represents the face-plate, which is of the usual form and provided with openings through which the bolt or bolts may pass, also as in the usual construction. The face-plate is adapted to set close against the open end of the case, and upon its inside it is constructed with hooks 12, corresponding to the hooks a. on the respective sides of the case, as shown, and so that when the case is open-that is, before the removable side is applied -the face-plate may be set onto the case by a lateral movement, so that the hooks Z) of the face-plate will engage the hooks of the case, as represented in Figs, 1 and 2. Then when the removable plate 0 is set upon the case, as represented in Fig. 5, it bears upon the face-plate or upon'the hooks Z), so as to prevent lateral movement of the face-plate, and thus firmly secure the face-plate to the case. In this con struction the faceplate may be cast with the hooks complete as an integral part of it, and this may be done so that after the proper cleaning of the castings'the parts will readily set together; or the hook I) may be made separate from the case and united therewith. In such case the hook is constructed with a shank, as cl, Fig. 6, upon which the face-plate may be cast; or the book may be riveted to the face plate after casting through a hole formed therein for the purpose; but I prefer to make the hooks as an integral part of the plate. Another great advantage in this construction arises from the fact that locks of the same style, shape, and class are required with vary ing face-plates, so thatwhen the face-plates are permanently united to the case the manufacturer is obliged to carry a stock of locks corresponding to such demand; but because of the face-plate being removable the facethe face-plate to engage the look as I have described as a saving over the usual construction, there is also this second great advantage.

I have represented the hooks as formed by an inward turning of the top and bottom of the case; but it will be understood that the direction in which the hook opens is immaterial, for the hook character may be produced in dovetail shape, as represented in Fig. 7. In either case there is the same hooklike connection, it only being essential that the case shall terminate at its front end in substantiallyhook shape and the face-plate be provided with corresponding hook-shaped projections adapted to engage the case.

The face end of the case is best made open, as I have described. First, because it is a saving of metal, and, second, because it is a convenience in assembling; but it is not essential to the invention that the face end should be open. That endof the case maybe closed, as represented in Fig. 8, and that edge of the case constructed of hooks in the form of dovetailed recess or recesses, and the face-plate with a corresponding hook to engage said reccss. I therefore do not wish to be understood as limiting the invention to any particular construction of engaging devices between the face-plate and case, it only being essential that such devices shall be of a hook-like character to interlock the face-plate with the case.

I do not claim, broadly, interlocking the case of a mortise lock or latch with the face-plate,

as I am aware that such interlocking has been made by constructing the case with hooks on its front edge and then casting the face-plate onto the edge of the case, and so that the metal of the face-plate will interlock with the hooks .on the lock-case; but in such construction the formation of the face-plate has been such as to produce a recess into which the lock-case will extend, and whereby the case and faceplate are permanently and inseparably united.

g I claim- In a mortise lock or latch in which one of to permit the plate to be setv onto or removed from the case by a transverse movement, and

so that when said hooks are engaged thehooks of the face-plate stand between the removable and fixed sides of the case, substantially as described, and whereby said sidesserve to detachably hold the said plate to the case.

HENRY MORTON. W'itnesses:

HENRY H. STEDMAN, GEORGE PARKER. 

